1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a haptic feedback method, and more particularly, to a haptic feedback apparatus and method for automatically generating a haptic feedback pattern based on data associated with physical parameters in a game application and data associated with an environment or an event situation when video content such as a game is executed in a portable device or a console in which a haptic actuator is included or attached.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional haptic feedback method is based on an event, and most conventional methods manually generate a haptic pattern appropriate for an event, and load the library and immediately execute an appropriate haptic pattern when an event occurs in a game.
The game may be a real-time application, and may reconfigure an image in real time as opposed to providing an image over time. The game application may update at regular intervals so as to proceed with the game, may render a screen based on given information for displaying, and may automatically sense an event which provides an effect such as sound or vibration. In this example, the game application generally loads a sound source or a vibration pattern included in the library so as to drive a speaker or a motor. The game application performs updating when an external input such as a keyboard exists, or automatically proceeds with the game using an artificial intelligence engine.
The greatest difficulty of the conventional technology is that it requires a larger number of libraries to be generated and stored as the number of types of events increases, since haptic patterns are stored based on a library scheme. The performance of portable terminal hardware has been significantly improved following the introduction of smart phones and thus, realistic game expression is increasing and various types of events will be provided. A size of a game application may become large when a library is large and thus, an effective haptic feedback may be compromised.
The library scheme requires a game developer to create an optimal pattern that is appropriate for an event. However, most game developers may not be aware of an actuator feature and thus, developing an appropriate pattern may be difficult. Also, it may be time-consuming to produce a haptic pattern and, in turn, for producing a game application.